iPhone 7's Best Features

Well, hello best selfies ever!

Earlier today, Apple CEO Tim Cook and the rest of the company's all-star team hit the stage in San Francisco to announce all the latest Apple products and software. The event covered a lot of ground: new partnerships with Mario and Pokemon Go, HomeKit, iWork, Apple Watch, the new Apple Watch Nike Plus, and of course, the long-awaited iPhone 7. The new phone came with a lot of updates; it was presented through a series of 10 features, but there are seven we're especially excited about.

1. Better battery life

The iPhone 7 lasts two hours longer than the iPhone 6, and the 7 Plus will last an hour longer than the 6 Plus. That's good news for those of us who are constantly on our phones.

2. Water and dust resistance

We've all been there. You're trying to find a restaurant while walking through a rainstorm, or get splashed by a wave as you take a photo on the beach. The iPhone 7 is water and dust resistant, meaning that while it's not totally waterproof (unlike the new Apple Watch Series 2), it's less likely to be damaged when exposed to little bit of liquid.

3. Dual Camera

The new camera "system" is arguably the best new feature of the iPhone 7. With two cameras on the outside, a 10x telephoto zoom, and two-tone flash, the cameras have been vetted by professional photographers as the most advanced iPhone cameras yet. They're said to match the quality of most digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, and optimize images by automatically setting white balance, noise-reduction, color, and tone. Plus, with a 7-megapixel front-facing camera, our selfies will be sharper than ever.

A new feature Apple seems really excited about is the camera's ability to separate the foreground of a photo from the background. (We're interested to see how photo apps like Snapchat and Instagram will tap into the new hardware to optimize its capabilities. Does this mean near-3D Snapchat Stories now?)

4. iOS 10

While the new operating system was technically announced back in June at the Worldwide Developer's Conference, iOS 10 will become available on September 13. This means that we'll soon be able to learn how to code on Swift Playgrounds and send iMessages or texts with bubble effects, Snapchat-like features such as drawing, and better emoji integration. And, drumroll please, we'll finally be able to access over 100 new emoji.

5. The Colors

Because the glossy-black finish doubles as a mirror! Just kidding. But seriously, the two new black colors are gorgeous, and are definitely more versatile than Deep Blue would have been.

As part of the device's design, which includes a haptic-touch sensor in place of a home button, Apple decided to get rid of the headphone jack and instead enable wired headphones to connect via the Lightning Connector. They're including an adapter for analog headphones (the ones you're currently using) in the box. This begs the question: how are we supposed to charge our phones and listen to music simultaneously? The answer: Apple probably doesn't want us to use the Lightning Connector for our headphones in the first place, because the company is debuting a pair of wireless headphones called AirPods, which will cost $150 and hit stores in October. You'll be able to wirelessly listen to music and charge your phone, as opposed to other phones on the market that allow you to wirelessly charge but listen to music through analog headphones. Now that's a game-changer.